Santo upbeat on Awoniyi, Ola Aina's return

Santo upbeat on Awoniyi, Ola Aina's return

Nothingham Forest manager, Nuno Espirito Santo is upbeat on the imminent return of his Nigerian duo, Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina.

As the team launched an appeal against the FFP points deduction and the battle against relegation, Santo is banking on the Nigerians to help out in the remaining nine games as Nottingham Forest fight to avoid relegation.

Injuries and availability will affect his options, as is the case with Taiwo Awoniyi, who was dealth a fresh injury blow.

Nuno had been coy over how long Awoniyi could be out as initial diagnosis suggested it was difficult to put an exact timeframe on his recovery, but the belief is he could be back sooner to help in salvaging the situation.

And with Aina expected return, Nuno has a reliable defender to back on. Aina was excellent in the first half of the season.

Technically Aina is probably the better left-backs for Nuno and his return is a boost for Forest.